The Savvy Shopper reveals tips and trends for gift-buying in what is shaping up as the biggest holiday season of the ’90s.

GOOD manners aren’t strictly for the dinner table, you know.

Etiquette expert Peggy Post, executive director of the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vt., says there are rules that savvy shoppers should follow to assure them and their fellow shoppers civil, stress-free holiday excursions — even when oversized crowds would seem to make that impossible.

*Keep to the right of the sidewalk.

“Just like driving on the highway, stay on the right whatever direction you’re walking in,” says Post. The only time you should cross the center line is to pass someone.

* Don’t make quick stops.

To avoid bottlenecks in store doors or narrow aisles, step to the side if you have to reorganize your packages or review your shopping list. Like on the interstate, quick stops can cause harmful pileups.

* Turn off your phone when inside a store.

“It’s simply inconsiderate,” says Post. After all, “you wouldn’t talk on your phone in a closed place like a library or theater, so don’t do it when you’re in a store.”

* Mind your backpack.

Backpacks can become weapons in crowded areas. If you turn too quickly while one’s strapped to your back, you risk knocking out the person standing behind you. “If the area you’re in is really crowded, carry your backpack in front of you,” says Post. Same thing with shopping bags: Keep them close to your body, at your sides or directly in front of you.

* Keep your cool.

Did some idiot cut you off on the sidewalk or steal your place in line? Don’t tell them off. “Caustic comments only make bad situations worse,” says Post. “‘I don’t think you realize that I was there in line’ works much better than ‘Hey, you jerk! Get out of my way!’ That’s just adding fuel to the fire.”

* Don’t be afraid to report shoddy sales staff.

“If a salesperson is really, really rude or indifferent — like if one is ignoring you when you want to pay or is having a personal conversation and refusing to give you help — you can definitely say something to the management,” says Post.